By Andrew Hornback

The U of L men’s tennis team will finalize fall play on Nov. 15 at the Cardinal Open.
The event will be played at the Bass Rudd Tennis Center and will give local fans only their second chance to see the team at home this semester.
Although the players participating in the event haven’t been officially named, freshman Andrew Carter is confident the event will be worthwhile to local fans.
“It’s going to be very interesting,” Carter said. “The fans can expect to see a lot of different players at the event. It’s exciting to be a part of something innovative and brand new in college tennis.”
Carter, who U of L head coach Rex Ecarma has said at times can be one of the most exciting players on the team to watch because of his speed and relentlessness on the court, will most likely play in the event.
Although the event will not be as large in terms of teams entering or days played at the Louisville Invitational, Ecarma still expects his players to take it seriously and perform well.
The 25 day limit on match play could prevent the ITA No. 26 doubles team of Austen Childs and Simon Childs from playing, thus delaying their home debut until the spring. The duo are ranked among the best doubles teams in the country with a record of 12-1, and recently won the Florida State Seminole Invitational and also won the Virginia Rank Plus One Invitational earlier this season.
Prior to the Louisville Invitational, Ecarma stressed the importance of strategically selecting who will play what matches in the fall in order to assure his best players are ready to make a run at the Big East title in the spring.
“You only have 25 playing days,” Ecarma said. “When I put someone in at an event like the Louisville Invitational, they get to play all three days and it only counts as one day against his playing time. I’ve got to make sure my team is ready to compete in the Big East.”
The Cards have performed better than any other team in the Big East this fall, and are on pace for a No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament. Highlights of the season include senior Robert Rotaru’s win in the Louisville Fall Invitational and the strong play by the Childs and Childs duo.
Ecarma has said on several occasions that his team’s play has been superb throughout the fall season and that they should win the Big East.
“After the Florida State Invitational, it should give us a chance to round out the season well at home,” Ecarma said. “As always, my players will be ready.”